I’ve spent 10+ years in practice, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that most problems in an accountancy firm aren’t technical. They happen in the gaps.
A typical practice runs on a patchwork. One system for prospecting. Another for proposals. A separate one for client records, another for documents, a job tracker, an email inbox, a phone full of WhatsApp messages, and usually a spreadsheet holding the whole thing together. Each tool works fine on its own. The trouble is what happens between them.
A document gets emailed rather than uploaded, so it never reaches the job. A WhatsApp message comes in on a Friday evening and is forgotten by Monday. A new client signs a proposal, and someone has to retype their details into three other places. None of this is anyone being careless. It’s simply what happens when information has to jump from one system to the next.
So we decided to stop jumping. We built one joined-up system for IB&Co, covering everything from the first enquiry to the day your accounts are filed.
Why “just reminders” was never enough
When people hear “client portal”, they often picture a login page and a few automated emails. That isn’t what we wanted.
Reminders only help if everything behind them is joined up. If your documents sit in one place, your deadlines in another and your messages somewhere else, a reminder just tells you there’s a problem. It doesn’t help solve it.
What we wanted was a single picture of every client, so that whoever you speak to at IB&Co can see the full story: what we’ve agreed, what we’ve asked for, what you’ve sent, where your work is up to, and what’s coming next.
What you’ll notice as a client
You don’t need to know how the system works to feel the difference. Here’s what changes for you.
One place for everything. Your secure portal holds your documents, your jobs, your engagement letters, your invoices, your messages with us and a calendar of your key dates. No more searching your inbox for that one attachment.
Clear requests, simple uploads. When we need something from you, we send a specific request. You upload it straight into the portal and it lands exactly where it’s needed. You can download anything we’ve shared with you, too.
You can see where your work is up to. Your jobs show their progress, so you’re not left wondering whether we’ve started on your accounts or are waiting on something from you. Your to-dos and anything awaiting your approval are right there on your dashboard.
Proposals and engagement letters online. You can read and accept your proposal and engagement letter online, and the same record carries straight through into your onboarding. Nothing gets retyped.
Paying is easier. You can pay invoices online by card, Direct Debit or PayPal.
Sign in the way that suits you. Use your email and password, or your Google or LinkedIn account. You can also add two-step verification with an authenticator app for extra security.
Faster, more joined-up replies. Whether you message us through the portal or on WhatsApp, your message sits alongside your file. Whoever picks it up has the context in front of them, so you get a proper answer sooner.
And the part I care about most: it helps us get your accounts filed online and on time. When documents, deadlines and jobs all live together, it’s much harder for anything to slip.
How it works behind the scenes
Here’s what happens on our side, from the very first conversation.
Enquiries and leads. When someone enquires through our website or by email, it comes straight into the system. We can see every lead, how urgent it is and what’s happened so far, so no enquiry gets lost in an inbox.
Proposals. We build proposals in the same system, send them to you, and you accept online. Your engagement letter follows on from there.
Documents in the right place. While we prepare your proposal, you can send us anything we need by email or WhatsApp. Once you become a client, we invite you to the portal, and from then on everything you upload, and everything we ask for, stays with your record all the way through.
Client management and onboarding. Once you’re on board, your details, onboarding steps and history all sit in one client record. Access is role-based, so only the people working on your account, and the firm’s partners and managers, can see your file.
Jobs, deadlines and workflow. Every piece of work is a job, with tasks, deadlines and reviews attached. We can see at a glance what’s due, what’s waiting on information, and what’s ready to go.
WhatsApp, properly. Lots of our clients prefer WhatsApp, and that’s fine by us. Messages to our business number come into the system rather than sitting on one person’s phone, so the team can see and answer them.
Automations that keep people informed. If you message us on WhatsApp for the first time, or after a quiet spell, you’ll get a short automatic acknowledgement letting you know we’ve received it and a member of the team will reply (out of hours, it tells you when we’ll be back). It’s a fixed message, written by us. Then a real person follows up.
Security. The portal runs over a secure connection, sensitive details are encrypted, actions are recorded in an audit log, and the database is backed up every night.
How we use AI (and where we don’t)
I want to be straightforward about this, because I know AI makes some people uneasy, especially where money and tax are concerned.
We use AI to help our team work faster. We don’t use it to replace them.
AI drafts, people decide. When a WhatsApp message comes in, AI helps sort it and prepares a suggested reply based on wording we’ve already approved. A member of the team then reads it, edits it if needed, and decides whether to send it. Nothing AI-written goes out to you on WhatsApp without a person approving it.
Help with search and the busy work. AI helps us find things quickly across a client’s file, summarise a long document, and prepare first drafts of letters, emails and meeting notes. Again, every draft is checked by someone on the team before it goes anywhere.
Our website assistant. On our website, our assistant can answer general questions about IB&Co and what we do, and pass you to the team. It doesn’t give prices or personal tax advice. Those conversations belong with a qualified person who knows your situation.
What AI never does. It doesn’t give you tax advice, it doesn’t set your fees, and it doesn’t file anything on your behalf. Those decisions stay with us.
The result is that our team spends less time on admin and more time on the part that actually matters: thinking about your business and getting your work right.
What’s coming next
We’re not finished. We’re already working on further improvements, including more ways for you to stay on top of your key dates and a smoother questionnaire before your proposal, so we can understand your needs even sooner. I’ll share more as each piece goes live.
Let’s talk
If you’re an existing client, you’ll already be seeing the portal, and I’d love to hear what you think. If you’re not with us yet and you’re tired of chasing your accountant for answers, this is exactly the kind of service we built it for.
We’re accountants and tax advisers who believe good service comes from good systems and good people working together. If that sounds like what you’ve been looking for, Book a Discovery Call and let’s see how we can help.
Ishmael Bangura, Managing Partner, IB&Co Accountants
